During the formation of a semiconductor memory cell (e.g., during a metal-1 etch and other etches), bit lines tend to acquire high positive voltage (i.e., the bit lines tend to charge up), while the substrate remains at a much lower voltage. This difference in voltage causes band-to-band (BTB) generation of electrons in the source/drain-to-substrate junction of the memory cell and causes the generated electron-hole pairs to be injected into the charge storage area of the memory cell. As a result, the threshold voltage (Vt) of the memory cell increases. This increase in the threshold voltage of the memory cell is commonly referred to as inline process charging, which is a highly undesirable phenomenon.